DARTMOUTH  COLLEGE. 


- * - 

The  Relation  of  the  College  arid, 
the  Schools. 


MA.Y  1,  1893. 


DARTMOUTH  COLLEGE. 


THE  RELATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE  AND  THE  SCHOOLS. 

The  committee  appointed  to  consider  “  the  relations  of 
the  Chandler  school  to  the  college,  and  the  relations  of 
the  Thayer  school  to  both  ”  respectfully  reports  :  That  it 
has  given  earnest  attention  to  the  subject,  studying  the 
history  of  the  Chandler  school,  and  also  the  organization 
and  conditions  of  success  in  the  scientific  departments  of 
other  colleges,  and  in  the  technological  schools  ;  that  in  its 
whole  work  it  has  had  intelligent  cooperation  and  most 
efficient  aid  from  the  members  of  the  several  faculties 
who  were  asked  to  act  with  it,  and  now  presents  the  fol¬ 
lowing  facts  and  recommendations  : 

The  Chandler  school  was  organized  as  a  distinct  de¬ 
partment  or  school  in  the  college,  receiving  students  (as 
the  will  of  Mr.  Chandler  was  understood  to  require)  of  a 
different  grade,  at  a  lower  tuition,  classifying  them  differ¬ 
ently,  and  having  at  first  a  course  of  only  three  years. 
Gradually  the  standard  of  admission,  and  with  it  the 
grade  of  the  school,  has  risen  with  the  advance  of  the 
high  schools  which  are  a  part  of  the  “  common  school” 
system,  to  which  Mr.  Chandler’s  will  refers.  So  it  has 
come  about  that  more  has  been  and  is  demanded  of  the 
school  than  its  small  endowment  can  enable  it  to  meet. 
Its  senior  professor,  in  his  efforts  to  supply  by  extra  labor 
the  deficiency  in  its  teaching  force,  has  exceeded  his 
strength  and  cannot  go  on ;  so  that  for  the  large  classes 
now  making  increased  demands  the  best  provision  that 
can  be  made  is  inadequate,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
continue  long,  even  doing  as  much  as  has  been  done, 
while  there  must  be  considerable  enlargement  if  the 
school  is  to  still  hold  its  relative  rank.  The  college  can¬ 
not  properly  assist  by  furnishing  instruction  in  an  institu- 


4 


tion  having  a  separate  organization,  and  in  order  to  equip 
the  school  to  do  independently  a  successful  work  as  a 
technological  school,  or  a  school  for  training  “  in  the  practi¬ 
cal  arts  of  life,”  a  very  much  larger  endowment  would  be 
required  than  your  committee  sees  any  reason  to  hope 
could  be  secured. 

Therefore,  without  coming  to  the  consideration  of 
which  of  the  two  plans  for  the  school  suggested  in  the 
vote  of  the  trustees  appointing  the  committee  would  be  the 
better,  it  appears  that  the  plan  of  complete  equipment  for 
separate  work  is  so  nearly  impossible  that  it  should  not 
be  considered,  unless  the  alternative  plan  of  closer  union 
with  the  college,  “so  as  to  furnish  scientific  courses  par¬ 
allel  with  the  other  courses  of  the  college,”  is  found  to  be 
objectionable. 

Your  committee  finds  that  the  advancing  grade  of  the 
Chandler  school,  with  its  practically  higher  conditions  of 
admission,  while  making  its  independent  maintenance 
very  expensive,  is  fast  bringing  it  where  it  is  possible  to 
attempt  a  degree  of  combination  of  its  work  with  that  of 
the  college  which  would  have  been  altogether  impracti¬ 
cable  in  its  earlier  history.  It  is  also  a  favorable  fact 
that  the  students  already  associate  in  corresponding 
classes. 

The  doubt  may  remain  whether  for  disciplinary  pur¬ 
poses  the  best  course  that  can  be  arranged  in  the  modern 
languages,  mathematics,  and  scientific  work,  can  equal 
the  classical  course  ;  our  question  is  only  whether  such  a 
modern  language  and  scientific  course  can  be  made  so 
nearly  the  parallel  of  the  other  that  students  of  the  two 
can  be  associated  in  the  same  class  without  seriously 
lowering  the  tone  of  scholarship  in  either,  and  this  can 
be  answered  in  the  affirmative  if  the  grade  of  the  new 
course  can  be  made  high  enough  of  its  kind.  The  pos¬ 
sibility  of  so  establishing  the  grade  of  the  Chandler 


jL>artuouth  College,  Ihe  -‘©lection  of  the  w  allege  end 

the  schools.  ifc/  1,  1093.  8vot  H7ppt  fi» 

1893. 


5 


school,  and  some  other  practical  matters  involved  in  the 
more  intimate  union  of  the  school  and  the  old  college, 
depend  upon  the  interpretation  of  the  will  of  the  founder, 
of  which  the  visitors  are  made  authoritative  expounders. 
Their  formal  opinion  accompanies  this  report,  and  an¬ 
swers  the  crucial  questions. — Whether  under  the  will  the 
standard  of  the  school  can  be  so  high  that  its  discipline 
and  scholarship  shall  be  equal  to  that  of  other  depart¬ 
ments  of  the  college,  and  as  a  condition  to  this  whether 
the  terms  of  admission  can  be  made  to  require,  such  at¬ 
tainments  in  the  modern  languages  and  scientific  studies 
that  students  entering  shall  already  have  a  good  degree 
of  mental  discipline  and  attainments. — Whether  under  the 
will  the  tuition  can  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  old  college, 
so  long  as  that  remains  “  moderate.” — Whether  the  con¬ 
dition  establishing  a  “  department  or  school  in  the  col¬ 
lege”  is  met  by  the  maintenance  of  a  department  and 
courses  of  instruction  in  the  college,  without  such  a  sep¬ 
arate  classification  of  students  as  would  require  them  to 
be  made  responsible  to  a  purely  separate  faculty. 

These  questions,  for  the  answer  of  which,  under  the 
terms  of  the  will,  the  trustees  are  not  responsible,  being 
thus  all  answered  in  the  affirmative,  your  committee  rec¬ 
ommends  that  announcement  be  made,  in  the  catalogue 
now  issuing,  of  a  change  to  take  effect  at  the  beginning 
of  the  next  college  year,  whereby  the  Chandler  school 
shall  become  a  department  of  instruction  in  the  college 
furnishing  scientific  courses  parallel  with  the  other 
courses,  with  all  the  students  classified  together  under 
one  faculty,  that  the  professors  upon  the  Chandler  found¬ 
ation  become  members  of  this  college  faculty,  that  the 
tuition  for  all  students  hereafter  admitted  shall  be  the 
same  (namely,  $90),  and  that  the  conditions  for  admis¬ 
sion  to  the  Chandler  scientific  course  be  raised  to  include 
substantially  as  much  of  mathematics,  physics,  and 


6 


chemistry  as  the  better  high  schools  furnish,  with  one 
full  year  of  French  at  once,  and  two  upon  entrance  a 
year  later  ; — that  the  college  offer  three  parallel  courses, 
the  classical,  the  Latin-scientific,  and  the  Chandler  scien¬ 
tific,  for  the  degrees  respectively  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
Bachelor  of  Letters,  and  Bachelor  of  Science,  and  that 
the  catalogue  now  issuing  contain  an  announcement  of 
these  changes,  with  particulars  of  the  changed  conditions 
of  admission  and  curriculum.  These  necessary  changes 
are  more  particularly  indicated  in  the  report  of  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  several  faculties,  who  were  requested  by  the 
trustees  to  act  with  this  committee,  and  that  report  is 
commended  to  the  attention  of  the  board  for  its  admirable 
discussion  of  the  questions  involved,  and  is  hereby  made 
a  part  of  the  present  report.  [See  “A”.] 

In  reference  to  the  relations  of  the  Thayer  school,  your 
committee  finds  that  the  work  of  the  last  year  in  the  civil 
engineering  course  of  the  Chandler  school  is  substantially 
the  same  as  that  of  the  first  year  of  the  Thayer  school, 
and  therefore  recommends  that  an  arrangement  be  made 
for  such  union  of  classes  as  may  prove  to  be  practicable, 
and  to  meet  the  approval  of  the  overseers  of  the  Thayer 
school,  the  work  of  instruction  to  be  equitably  divided  by 
the  professors  concerned,  as  outlined  in  the  paper  sub¬ 
mitted  by  Professor  Fletcher,  which  is  hereby  specifi¬ 
cally  referred  to  and  made  a  part  of  this  report.  [See 
“  B”.] 

Respectfully  submitted  : 

Alonzo  H.  Quint, 

Henry  Fairbanks, 

Wm.  J.  Tucker, 

J.  B.  Richardson, 

Committee . 

[The  above  report  was  accepted,  and  its  recommend¬ 
ations  adopted,  by  the  trustees  at  a  meeting  held  Dec.  5,. 
1892.] 


OPINION  OF  THE  VISITORS.  I. 


To  the  Trustees  of  Dartmouth  College : 

The  visitors  provided  for  in  the  will  of  the  late  Abiel  Chandler  have 
carefully  examined  the  report  of  your  committee,  appointed  to  consider 
the  relations  of  the  Chandler  school  to  the  college,  and  also  the  report 
of  the  members  of  the  several  faculties  acting  with  that  committee,  and 
now  desire  to  express  their  entire  approval  of  the  conclusions  reached 
in  both  reports. 

We  gratefully  appreciate  the  effort  that  has  been  made  by  the  trustees 
and  the  various  faculties  of  the  college  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
scientific  department,  and  to  strengthen  it  and  increase  its  usefulness 
by  promoting  a  closer  union  with  the  college,  and  by  advancing  the 
standard  of  scholarship  requisite  for  admission  to  it. 

As  representatives  of  the  founder  of  that  department,  we  most  sincere¬ 
ly  thank  you  for  the  wise  thoughtfulness  which  prompted  the  inquiry 
that  has  been  made,  and  the  conscientious  desire,  evinced  in  the 
reports,  to  conform  to  his  wishes  with  reference  to  the  foundation,  and 
we  trust  that  the  results  attained  will  redound  to  the  honor  of  the 
college. 

Benjamin  A.  Kimball, 

John  Hopkins, 

Visitors . 


OPINION  OF  THE  VISITORS.  II. 


To  the  Trustees  of  Dartmouth  College: 

Mr.  Chandler,  in  his  will,  expressed  an  “earnest  desire”  that  the 
trustees  of  Dartmouth  college  should  conform  to  his  wishes  in  respect 
to  the  legacy,  by  him  given  them,  for  the  establishment  and  support  of 
a  permanent  department  or  school  of  instruction  in  the  college. 

And,  in  order  to  insure  such  conformity,  he  constituted  a  perpetual 
board  of  visitors,  who  should  “  have  full  power  to  determine,  interpret, 
and  explain”  his  wishes  in  respect  to  the  foundation,  and  to  see  that 
his  intentions  in  regard  to  it  were  faithfully  executed. 


8 


Thus  empowered  and  enjoined,  with  a  tender  regard  for  the  memory 
of  the  founder,  and  with  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  the  interests  of 
the  department  and  the  college  in  its  entirety,  the  visitors  respectfully 
submit  the  following  interpretation  and  explanation  of  the  wishes  of 
Mr.  Chandler: 

Two  questions  will  be  considered. 

First.  What  relation  does  the  foundation  sustain  to  the  college? 

Second.  What  requisites  for  admission  to  it  may  be  demanded? 

I. 

Obviously  the  wishes  of  the  founder  must  be  gathered  from  the  in¬ 
strument  wherein  they  are  expressed. 

By  its  terms  his  purpose  was  to  establish  “a  permanent  department 
or  school  of  instruction”  in  Dartmouth  college. 

The  words  used,  “  department  or  school,”  were  not  used  by  him  to 
indicate  two  distinct  things,  with  the  intent  that  either  one  of  them 
might  be  established  and  maintained,  but  rather  as  two  different  names 
for  one  and  the  same  thing,  which  should  be  fairly  characterized  by 
both  of  the  terms  made  use  of  to  describe  it. 

His  desire  was  to  provide  a  course  of  instruction  which  should  take 
rank  with,  and  be  a  part  of,  the  course  of  instruction  furnished  by 
Dartmouth  college ;  it  was  not  to  be  extraneous  and  outside,  but  an  ad¬ 
dition  to  that  already  provided  by  the  college. 

The  foundation  intended  was  not  something  outside  and  independent 
of  the  college,  or  outside  and  lacking  the  fostering  and  beneficent  in¬ 
fluence  of  association  and  incorporation  with  it ;  it  was  not  to  be  a 
technological  or  professional  school,  forming  one  of  an  association  or 
aggregation  of  schools  and  colleges,  and  constituting  a  university,  but 
simply  and  purely  a  department  in  the  college. 

The  nearness  of  association  which  was  intended  is  well  expressed  by 
the  phrase  “in  the  college.” 

Mr.  Chandler  did  not  desire  to  found  an  independent  school,  or  to 
establish  a  weak  and  inefficient  institution  of  learning ;  he  saw  clearly 
that  the  funds  provided  would  be  insufficient  to  establish  and  maintain 
such  an  opportunity  for  instruction  as  he  conceived  and  desired  to  pro¬ 
vide,  and  he  wisely  sought  to  establish,  as  a  part  of  the  college,  a  per¬ 
manent  department  wherein  might  be  obtained  a  liberal  education  upon 
the  basis  and  along  the  lines  indicated  in  the  enumeration  of  the 
branches  to  be  taught  in  it. 

He  desired  and  intended  it  to  be  a  department  in  the  college ;  as  he 


9 


well  knew  the  advantages  that  must  come  to  it  from  incorporation  in  it, 
with  its  venerable  traditions  and  its  reputation  for  sound  learning  and  for 
prudent  and  conservative  management. 

He  wished  that  those  who  sought  instruction  in  it  should  have  all  the 
benefits  that  could  come  from  being  part  and  parcel  of  the  college,  and 
from  instruction  by  the  faithful  men  to  whom  was  committed  the  duty 
of  educating  the  earnest  young  men  who  .resort  to  it ;  and  he  had  faith 
to  believe  that,  under  the  wise  care  of  the  trustees,  the  long  line  of  emi¬ 
nent  instructors  would  be  continued  unbroken,  so  that  those  for  whom 
he  sought  to  make  provision  would  be  assured  of  the  best  instruction 
which  the  state  of  the  sciences  permitted. 

He  did  not  intend  that  those  who  sought  instruction  in  the  depart¬ 
ment  should  be  set  off  by  themselves,  and  aside  from  the  general  body 
of  students  of  the  college,  and  be  unidentified  with  it ;  but,  on  the  con¬ 
trary,  that  they  should  be  students  of  Dartmouth  college  receiving  in¬ 
struction  in  one  of  its  departments. 

In  brief,  his  wish  was  that  the  foundation  should  be  permanent ;  that 
it  should  have  all  the  advantage — which  he  realized  would  be  very  great, 
that  could  come  to  it  from  being  a  department  in  the  college ;  that  those 
who  sought  it  should  have  all  the  advantages — which  he  knew  would  be 
very  many  and  very  great — that  would  inure  to  them  from  their  connec¬ 
tion  with  a  department  in  the  college,  and  from  the  high  quality  of  the 
instruction  he  believed  would  be  furnished  by  its  faithful  and  able  in¬ 
structors. 

Mr.  Chandler’s  first  impulse  towards  a  liberal  education  resulted  from 
contact  with  students  of  Dartmouth  college,  and,  though  educated 
elsewhere  himself,  he  always  had  in  the  highest  regard  the  college  to 
which  he  became  so  liberal  a  benefactor ;  and  it  must  be  apparent  that 
when  he  created  the  foundation  his  idea  was  that  there  should  be  that 
intimate  relation  and  close  union  between  that  which  he  was  adding  and 
that  to  which  it  was  added,  that  is  so  well  expressed  by  the  words 
“  department  of  instruction  in  the  college,”  as  that  he  desired  it  to  have 
all  the  many  advantages  which  must  result  from  such  relationship. 

The  views  here  expressed  are  aided  by  the  interpretation  of  the  will  by 
the  trustees  at  the  time  the  legacy  was  received. 

President  Lord  delivered  at  Commencement,  July  29,  1852,  a  dis¬ 
course  commemorative  of  Mr.  Chandler. 

His  opening  sentence  was,  “I  rise,  by  order  of  the  trustees,  to  an¬ 
nounce  the  organization  of  the  Chandler  School  of  Science  and  the 
Arts,  as  a  new  department  of  instruction  in  the  college.'1'1 

The  relation  of  the  department  to  the  college  is  thus  expressed : 


10 


“  The  management  of  Mr.  Chandler’s  trust  requires  a  change  in  the 
organization  of  the  college.  The  change  is  adopted  because  of  certain 
wants  of  society,  and  corresponding  social  tendencies,  which  are 
thought  sufficient  to  warrant,  if  not  to  demand,  such  a  modification  of 
the  college  order.  But  the  change  will  be  modal,  and  not  essential. 
It  will  be  simple,  and,  for  the  present,  experimental.  It  will  consist 
mainly  of  additions.  The  regular  college  course  is  left  untouched.  No 
arrangement  is  made  or  contemplated  that  will  diminish  the  number, 
quantity,  or  proportion  of  the  studies  or  exercises  heretofore  established 
as  a  foundation  for  the  learned  professions.  These  will  be  liable  to  be 
interpenetrated  by  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the  new  department.  But 
the  influence  will  be  reciprocal.  Nothing  will  necessarily  be  lost  by 
either.  The  system  is  intended  to  be  one  of  mutual  giving  and  receiv¬ 
ing,  with  a  view  to  the  more  natural  and  perfect  development  of  all  the 
branches,  and  a  greater  corresponding  usefulness  and  dignity  of  the 
college. 

“  By  this  new  organization  the  college  receives  preparatory  students, 
and  classes  of  under-graduates,  who  contemplate  not  the  professional 
but  active  pursuits  of  life.  It  introduces  new  branches  and  methods  of 
study  adapted  to  this  description  of  young  men ;  and  it  creates  a  new 
degree — the  degree  of  Bachelor  in  Science — intended  to  be  equivalent 
to  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 

“The  spirit  of  the  department  is  popular,  in  distinction  from  the 
professional,  but  with  a  view  to  the  same  beneficial  ends. 

“  Its  scope  is  to  elevate  mechanical  and  industrial  pursuits,  and  give  to 
material  science  and  labor  a  social  and  political  consequence  in  a  higher 
proportion  than  they  have  heretofore  held  to  the  professional.  It  im¬ 
plies  that  all  the  departments  of  knowledge  and  occupation,  though  not 
equally  important,  are  equally  necessary  to  the  subsistence  and  well¬ 
being  of  society  ;  and  that  they  have  hitherto  not  held  their  natural  and 
proper  relation  to  each  other.  Its  aim  is  to  restore  that  natural  and 
constitutional  propriety. 

“The  trustees,  having  accepted  Mr.  Chandler’s  trust,  are  bound  to 
carry  it  on  according  to  his  ideas.  But  they  accepted  his  ideas  first, 
or  they  would  not  have  undertaken  his  proposed  work. 

“  The  elementary  principle  of  his  charity,  as  they  understand  it  from 
his  will,  and  as  it  is  interpreted  to  them  by  his  visitors,  corresponds 
with  the  theory  of  the  college.  That  is,  it  is  not  social  or  political, 
but  moral.  The  college  is  a  moral  being.  Its  organization  and  its  re¬ 
sponsibility  are  moral.  .  .  .  Mr.  Chandler’s  theory  is  also  moral, 

in  distinction  from  the  social  and  political.  .  .  .  He  professes  not 


11 


to  stand  on  any  speculative  basis-.  He  requires  not  the  trustees  to  erect 
a  model  school,  after  any  pattern  of  romantic  reform,  or  any  partisan  or 
sectarian  peculiarities,  but  on  the  principles  which  have  been  settled 
for  ages  and  generations.” 

II. 

The  evident  purpose  of  Mr.  Chandler  was  to  furnish  young  men  with 
opportunities  for  obtaining  an  education  beyond  that  which  they  could 
obtain  at  the  public  charge. 

To  take  them  where  the  public  schools  left  them  and  carry  them  for¬ 
ward,  under  wise  teachers,  so  far  as  Dartmouth  college  could  carry 
them  without  any  essential  change  in  its  methods  and  without  any  dis¬ 
arrangement  of  its  plans  and  purposes. 

To  add  to  the  body  of  students  a  class  of  young  men  who  would  fol¬ 
low  certain  lines  of  study  in  common  with  them,  receiving  instruction 
from  the  same  teachers  in  their  common  studies,  but  who  from  natural 
inaptitude,  want  of  preparation,  or  from  choice,  did  not  desire  to  pur¬ 
sue  a  classical  course  of  study. 

He  found  throughout  New  England  a  well  established  system  of  pub¬ 
lic  schools,  supported  at  the  public  expense,  and  providing,  with  more 
or  less  liberality,  depending  somewhat  on  locality,  for  instruction  in 
the  elementary  branches  and  nothing  beyond ;  he  also  found  flourish¬ 
ing  academies,  especially  designed  to  prepare  young  men  for  the  well 
known  and  well  settled  classical  course  in  our  New  England  colleges. 

The  advantages  of  the  former  were  to  be  had  without  the  payment 
of  tuition,  the  latter  were  expensive  and  the  expense  was  met,  in  part, 
by  the  fees  of  those  attending  them. 

He  did  not  desire  to  furnish  that  which  could  be  obtained  freely  in 
the  public  schools,  or  to  take  the  pupils  out  of  the  public  schools,  but 
to  supplement  the  work  of  the  public  school  systems  of  New  England. 
Accordingly,  he  provided  in  his  will  that  “  No  other  or  higher  prepara¬ 
tory  studies  are  to  be  required,  in  order  to  enter  said  department  or 
school,  than  are  pursued  in  the  common  schools  of  New  England.” 

This  was  equivalent  to  saying  that  the  trustees  might  make  as  requi¬ 
sites  for  admission,  proficiency  in  such  studies  as  are  pursued  in  the 
common  schools  of  New  England. 

In  determining,  interpreting,  and  explaining  his  wishes  in  respect  to 
the  department  which  he  founded,  it  is  essential  that  his  understanding 
of  the  phrase  “  common  schools”  should  first  be  interpreted  and  deter¬ 
mined,  and  that  an  answer  should  be  given  to  the  question,  What  did 
he  mean  by  common  schools? 


12 


It  is  first  to  be  noticed  that  in  his  day  the  schools  of  New  England 
which  were  provided  for  by  law  and  supported  at  the  public  expense 
were  not  officially  known  as  “  common  schools,’ 1  with  the  exception 
hereinafter  noted,  and  the  same  has  been  true  from  that  time  forward, 
and  is  now. 

An  examination  of  the  statutes  of  the  various  states  of  New  England 
conclusively  shows  that  such  schools  were  called  public  schools,  and  by 
that  name  alone  were  known  to  the  laws  creating  them,  except  as  here¬ 
inafter  noted ;  this  will  appear  from  the  citations  from  the  various 
statutes  hereinafter  made. 

By  common  schools  he  meant  those  belonging  equally  to  the  public, 
those  serving  the  use  of  all ;  those  maintained  at  the  public  expense ; 
those  that  were  to  be  enjoyed  without  expense  to  the  individual ;  in 
brief,  those  known  to  the  law  as  public  schools. 

The  department  was  intended  to  be  a  permanent  one,  in  the  sense 
that  it  was  to  have  a  continuous  and  not  intermittent  existence  for  all 
time,  but  the  standard  of  admission  existing  in  the  mind  of  its  bene¬ 
factor  at  the  time  of  its  creation  was  not  intended  to  be  inflexible  and 
unvariable. 

It  cannot  for  a  moment  be  conceived  that  the  broad-minded,  far-see¬ 
ing  founder  did  not  foresee  that  great  advances  would  be  made  in  educa¬ 
tional  matters  in  the  public  schools,  and  opportunities  for  higher  attain¬ 
ments  would  be  there  afforded,  and  a  fair  conclusion  is  that  he  desired 
that  the  standard  for  admission  to  the  department  should  be  advanced, 
from  time  to  time,  so  as  to  conform  to  that  attained  in  the  public 
schools  in  all  times  thereafter. 

In  order  to  an  understanding  of  what  the  requisites  for  admission  to 
the  department  were  in  the  beginning,  and  what  they  may  now  be,  it  is 
necessary  to  refer  to  the  statutes  of  the  various  New  England  states,  in 
force  in  1851,.  and  those  now  in  force  relating  to  public  schools. 

The  constitution  of  the  state  of  Maine  provides:  “A  general  diffu¬ 
sion  of  the  advantages  of  education  being  essential  to  the  rights  and 
liberties  of  the  people,  to  promote  this  important  object  the  legislature 
are  authorized,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  require,  the  several  towns 
to  make  suitable  provision,  at  their  own  expense,  for  the  support  and 
maintenance  of  public  schools  .  .  .  ”  Constitution  of  Maine, 

Art.  VIII. 

The  revised  statutes  of  Maine,  in  the  revision  of  1847,  provided  as 
follows  : 

Chap.  17,  Sec.  12:  “  Every  town  .  .  .  shall  choose  by  ballot 

a  superintending  school  committee.” 


13 


Sec.  41  :  “All  superintending  school  committees  .  .  .  shall  per¬ 
form  the  following  duties,  to  wit:  .  .  .  Thirdly:  to  direct  the  gen¬ 

eral  course  of  instruction  and  what  books  shall  be  used  in  the  respec¬ 
tive  schools.” 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  this  revision  there  is  no  enumeration  of 
the  subjects  of  study  in  the  public  schools,  but  it  is  left  to  the  determina¬ 
tion  of  the  superintending  committee. 

In  the  revision  of  1857  provision  is  made  for  the  election  of  a  super¬ 
intending  committee  and,  among  other  things,  their  duty  is  thus  pro¬ 
vided  for : 

“Second:  .  .  .  they  shall  examine  him  [a  candidate  for 

teacher]  in  reading,  spelling,  writing,  English  grammar,  geography, 
history,  arithmetic,  and  other  branches  usually  taught  in  public  schools, 
and  particularly  for  the  school  for  which  he  is  examined. 

“  Third:  They  shall  give  to  each  candidate  found  competent,  a  cer¬ 
tificate  that  he  is  qualified  ...  to  instruct  in  the  branches  above- 
named  and  such  other  branches  as  are  necessary  to  be  taught  therein.” 

It  is  plain  from  these  provisions  that  the  capacity  of  the  public 
schools  was  not  intended  to  be  limited  to  the  few  subjects  enumerated 
in  the  statutes. 

In  the  revision  of  1883,  which  is  for  our  purpose  the  law  of  to-day, 
under  Chap.  11,  entitled  “  Education  of  Youth,”  Sec.  18  provides  for 
the  election  of  a  superintending  committee. 

Their  duties  are  prescribed  in 

Sec.  87  :  “  II  .  .  .  they  shall  examine  him  [the  candidate  for 

teacher]  in  reading,  spelling,  English  grammar,  geography,  history, 
arithmetic,  book-keeping,  physiology,  and  stich  other  branches  as  they 
desire  to  introduce  in  public  schools  .  .  .  .” 

IV.  “  Direct  the  general  course  of  instruction.” 

Sec.  28  provides  that,  under  certain  conditions,  any  town  may 
receive  state  aid  for  the  support  of  free  high  schools. 

Sec.  31  provides  as  follows:  “The  course  of  study  in  free  high 
schools  shall  embrace  the  ordinary  English  academic  studies,  especially 
the  natural  sciences  in  their  application  to  mechanics,  manufactures,  and 
agriculture,  but  the  ancient  and  modern  languages  shall  not  be  taught 
therein,  except  wholly  at  the  expense  of  the  city,  town,  district,  or  union 
of  districts  maintaining  such  schools  .  .  .  When  such  school  is 

established  .  .  .  it  shall  be  free.” 

It  thus  appears  that  the  preparation  afforded  by  the  public  schools  of 
Maine,  including  therein  the  free  high  schools,  is  of  high  order  and  that 
it  has  been  progressive  in  its  character. 


14 


In  the  revised  statutes  of  New  Hampshire,  revision  of  1854,  provis¬ 
ion  is  made  for  the  public  schools  as  follows : 

Title  XI  is  entitled  “  Of  Public  Instruction.” 

By  Chap.  76,  Sec.  1  :  “The  selectmen  shall  assess  upon  polls  and 
ratable  estates”  a  certain  sum. 

Sec.  3  :  “  Such  sum  .  .  .  shall  be  appropriated  to  the  sole  pur¬ 
pose  of  keeping  an  English  school  or  schools  .  .  .  for  teaching 

reading,  writing,  English  grammar,  arithmetic,  geography,  together 
with  such  other  branches  of  English  education  as  are  adapted  to  the. 
advancement  of  the  school  .  .  .  .” 

By  Chap.  79  any  two  or  more  districts  may  unite  and  establish  and 
maintain  a  high  school.  Under  Sec.  6  the  teacher  of  such  high  school 
shall  be  competent  to  teach,  in  addition  to  the  branches  taught  in  the 
district  or  English  school,  “  history,  philosophy,  chemistry,  botany, 
book-keeping,  surveying,  geometry,  algebra,  logic,  and  rhetoric,  all 
which  branches,  and  also  the  ancient  and  modern  languages,  may  be 
taught  in  such  high  school.” 

School  districts  were  also  authorized  to  adopt  the  provisions  of  an 
act  of  1848,  which  authorized  them  to  keep  and  maintain  “  one  or  more 
high  schools  in  which  may  be  taught  all  the  branches  usually  taught  in 
English  grammar  schools  and  such  additional  branches  as  the  superin¬ 
tending  committee  may  direct.” 

The  public  statutes  of  New  Hampshire,  compilation  of  1891,  under 
Title  XII,  entitled  “Of  Public  Schools”  provides  in  Chap.  88,  Sec.  1, 
for  the  assessment  of  a  school  tax. 

Sec.  3  is  as  follows :  “  The  sums  so  raised  shall  be  appropriated  to 
the  sole  purpose  of  maintaining  public  schools  within  the  town  for 
teaching  reading,  writing,  English  grammar,  arithmetic,  and  such  other 
branches  as  are  adapted  to  the  advancement  of  the  school  .  .  .  .  ’  ’ 

By  Chap.  89,  Sec.  9:  “Any  school  district  may  by  vote  or  by  law 
establish  and  maintain  a  high  school  in  which  the  higher  English 
branches  of  education  and  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  modern  languages 
may  be  taught.’ 1 

New  Hampshire  appears  to  have  made  ample  provision  in  her  stat¬ 
utes  for  increasing  the  usefulness  and  advancement  of  her  public 
schools. 

Vermont  is  believed  to  be  the  only  one  of  the  New  England  states 
that,  in  1851,  used  in  its  statutes  as  a  distinctive  title  the  expression 
“Common  Schools.” 

Chap.  20,  of  the  “Compiled  Statutes  of  the  State  of  Vermont,’  * 
compilation  of  1851,  is  entitled  “  Common  Schools.” 


15 


Sec.  15  of  the  chapter  is  as  follows  : 

“Each  organized  town  shall  keep  and  support  one  or  more  schools, 
provided  with  competent  teachers,  of  good  morals,  for  instruction  of 
the  young  in  orthography,  reading,  writing,  English  grammar,  geog¬ 
raphy,  arithmetic,  history  of  the  United  States,  and  good  behavior.11 

By  Sec.  54  the  district  might  vote  to  have  two  or  more  schools  in 
the  district  at  the  same  time,  and  by  Sec.  55  it  might  “  direct  the 
teacher  of  the  higher  or  central  school  of  the  district  to  teach  any  of  the 
sciences  or  higher  branches  of  a  thorough  education,  which  may  not  by 
existing  laws  have  been  authorized11  and  this  Section  55  had  been  the 
law  since  1844. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  Section  55  forms  a  part  of  Chapter  20,  and 
its  provisions  are  applicable  to  common  schools  as  there  designated. 

It  is  doubtless  within  the  memory  of  many  Dartmouth  students,  who 
taught  school  in  the  districts  of  Vermont  during  the  long  winter  vaca¬ 
tion  in  the  college,  that  they  were  called  upon  to  teach  not  only  all 
the  English  branches  that  they  had  studied  in  college  but,  in  many 
instances,  Latin  besides. 

In  the  “Revised  Laws  of  Vermont,11  revision  of  1880,  under  “Title 
X,  Public  Instruction,11  Chap.  33  provides  for  the  “Maintenance  of 
schools  11  and  we  miss  the  phrase  “  Common  Schools.11 

Sec.  558  provides,  “one  or  more  schools  shall  be  maintained  in  each 
town  for  the  instruction  of  the  young  in  reading,  writing,  spelling, 
English  grammar,  geography,  arithmetic,  freehand  drawing,  history, 
and  constitution  of  the  United  States  and  good  behavior.11 

Chap.  35  is  of  “  Graded,  central,  and  union  schools.1 1 

Sec.  572  is  as  follows:  “  If  the  children  of  a  school  district  are  so 
numerous  as  to  require  more  than  one  teacher,  the  district  may  at  a 
district  meeting  vote  to  erect  as  many  school-houses  and  provide  as 
many  teachers  as  necessary  .  .  .  and  may  direct  the  sciences  or 

higher  branches  of  study  to  be  taught  in  one  of  such  schools.11 

So  that  in  Vermont  there  may  be  various  grades  of  district  schools, 
formerly  embraced  in  the  designation  of  common  schools,  in  which 
many  and  various  studies  of  a  high  order  are  provided  for. 

Massachusetts  is  the  only  one  of  the  New  England  states  that  limits, 
by  a  definite  enumeration,  the  subjects  of  instruction  in  the  public 
schools. 

In  the  revision  of  the  statutes  made  in  1836,  and  known  as  the  “Re¬ 
vised  Statutes,11  Chap.  23  is  entitled  “Of  the  Public  Schools.11 

Section  1  of  the  chapter  is  as  follows:  “In  every  town 
there  shall  be  kept  ...  at  the  charge  of  the  town,  by  a  teacher 


16 


of  competent  ability  and  good  morals,  one  school  for  the  instruction  of 
children  in  orthography,  reading,  writing,  English  grammar,  geography, 
arithmetic,  and  good  behavior  .  .  . 

By  Sec.  i  of  Chap.  56  of  the  acts  of  1839  there  was  added  to  this 
list  “the  history  of  the  United  States,”  and  no  further  additions  were 
provided  for  until  1858  when,  by  Secs.  1  and  2  of  Chap.  5,  of  the  acts 
of  that  year,  the  following  provision  was  made  :  “Algebra,  vocal  music, 
drawing,  physiology,  and  hygiene  shall  be  taught,  by  lectures  or  other¬ 
wise,  in  all  the  public  schools  in  which  the  school  committee  deem  it 
expedient.” 

By  Sec.  5  of  Chap.  23,  of  the  Revised  Statutes  :  “  Every  town  con¬ 
taining  five  hundred  families  or  householders,  shall  .  .  .  maintain 

a  school  to  be  kept  by  a  master  .  .  .  who  shall,  in  addition  to  the 

branches  of  learning  before  mentioned,  give  instruction  in  the  history 
of  the  United  States,  book-keeping,  surveying,  geometry,  and  algebra, 
and  in  every  town  containing  four  thousand  inhabitants  the 
said  master  shall,  in  addition  to  all  the  branches  before  required  .  .  . 

be  competent  to  instruct  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages,  and  general 
history,  rhetoric,  and  logic.” 

The  provisions  of  this  chapter  remained  in  force  until  1852  when,  by 
Chap.  123  of  the  acts  of  that  year,  it  was  enacted,  “That  every  town, 
may ,  and  every  town  containing  five  hundred  families  or  householders- 
shall ,”  maintain  a  school  wherein  should  be  taught,  in  addition  to  the 
branches  enumerated  in  Chap.  23  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  general  his¬ 
tory,  natural  philosophy,  chemistry,  botany,  the  civil  polity  of  the 
commonwealth  and  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Latin  language.  And 
in  every  town  containing  four  thousand  inhabitants  instruction  should 
be  given  in  the  “  Greek  and  French  languages,  astronomy,  geology, 
rhetoric,  logic,  intellectual  and  moral  science,  and  political  economy.” 

The  comprehensive  course  of  study  provided  for  in  these  statutes- 
remains  practically  unchanged  to  the  present  time. 

It  will  be  seen  that  che  various  schools  provided  for  were  not  distin¬ 
guished,  the  one  from  the  other,  by  any  descriptive  or  distinguish¬ 
ing  name,  but  all  were  embraced  under  the  general  name  of  public 
schools. 

By  Chap.  226  of  the  acts  of  1868,  however,  it  is  enacted  that  towns 
may  maintain  a  high  school,  and  thenceforward  this  advanced  grade  of 
public  schools  has  been  known  by  that  distinctive  name.  The  term 
“Common  Schools”  is  nowhere  used  in  the  statutes  of  Massachusetts, 
but  the  expression  ‘  ‘  Public  Schools  1  ’  covers  schools  of  every  grade 
maintained  at  the  public  expense. 


17 


The  revised  statutes  of  Rhode  Island,  revision  of  1857,  under 
“  Title  XIII,  of  Public  Instruction  ”  provide  for  public  schools  : 

Sec.  1  of  Chap.  60  is  as  follows:  “  Any  town  may  establish  and 
maintain  ...  a  sufficient  number  of  public  schools,  of  different 
grades  .  .  .  .” 

Sec.  1  of  Chap.  63  provides:  “Any  two  or  more  adjoining  school 
•districts  in  the  same  or  adjoining  towns,  may,  by  a  concurrent  vote, 
agree  to  establish  a  secondary  or  grammar  school,  for  the  older  and 
more  advanced  children  of  such  districts.” 

Chap.  66  treats  of  the  powers  and  duties  of  school  committees,  and 
Sec.  10  provides,  “They  shall  .  .  .  prescribe  the  studies  to  be 

pursued  therein.” 

By  the  public  statutes  of  Rhode  Island,  enacted  in  1882,  under  “  Title 
IX,  Public  Instruction,”  Chap.  47  provides,  “The  general  supervision 
and  control  of  the  public  schools  .  .  .  shall  be  vested  in  a  state 
board  of  education.”  “  The  board  .  .  .  shall  elect  the  commis¬ 
sioner  of  public  schools.” 

By  Chap.  56,  Sec.  9:  “The  school  committee  shall  make  . 
rules  and  regulations  .  .  .  for  the  instruction,  government,  and 

discipline  of  the  public  schools,  and  shall  prescribe  the  studies  to  be 
pursued  therein  under  the  direction  of  the  commissioner  of  public 
schools.” 

These  statutes  evidently  contemplate  a  change  from  time  to  time  in 
the  branches  to  be  taught. 

The  Connecticut  statutes,  compiled  in  1854  under  “Title  X,  an  act 
concerning  education  ”,  make  provision  for  the  schools  of  that  state. 

Sec.  11  of  Chap.  2  is  as  follows:  “Every  school  society  established 
as  such  by  the  general  assembly  .  .  .  shall  have  power  to  estab¬ 
lish  and  maintain  cojnmon  schools  of  different  grades  .  .  .  .” 

Sec.  22  :  “  The  board  of  visitors  shall  prescribe  rules  and  regulations 
for  the  management,  studies,  books,  classification  ...  of  the 
schools  of  the  society.’  ’ 

Sec.  3,  1854:  “  Every  school  district  .  .  .  shall  be  a  body  cor¬ 

porate  and  politic  with  power  ...  to  establish  and  maintain  com¬ 
mon  schools  of  different  grades.” 

Thus  it  appears  that  in  Connecticut,  up  to  1854,  the  branches  of  study 
required  to  be  taught  were  not  enumerated,  but  provision  was  made  for 
schools  of  different  grades,  all  known  as  common  schools. 

By  the  general  statutes  of  Connecticut,  1888,  it  is  provided  in  Sec. 
2118,  “  Public  schools  shall  be  maintained  ...  in  every  school 
district.  ...  In  said  schools  shall  be  taught  .  .  .  reading, 


18 


spelling,  writing,  English  grammar,  geography,  and  arithmetic,  and 
such  other  studies  ...  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  board  of 
school  visitors.” 

By  Sec.  2215  :  “In  addition  to  the  schools  required  by  law  in  every 
town,  any  town  may  establish  and  maintain  schools  of  a  higher  grade 
within  its  limits  .’ 1 

“  When  any  town  shall  maintain  such  school  of  a  higher  grade,  the 
board  of  school  visitors  shall  prescribe  rules  for  admission  of  scholars 
to  it  and  for  their  studies,  books,  and  classification.” 

Chap.  141  of  the  same  compilation  is  entitled,  “Support  of  Public 
Schools.” 

An  examination  of  the  foregoing  extracts  from  the  statutes  of  the 
several  New  England  states  shows  that,  at  about  the  time  Mr.  Chand¬ 
ler’s  will  went  into  effect,  there  was  no  uniformity  in  the  systems  of  edu¬ 
cation,  in  the  nomenclature  employed  to  represent  the  various  schools, 
or  in  the  course  of  study  pursued  in  them ;  the  only  thing  they  had  in 
common  was  this :  they  were  all  maintained  at  the  public  expense. 

In  two  states  only,  Vermont  and  Connecticut,  do  we  find  the  term 
“common  schools”  employed.  In  the  former  state  it  includes  “dis¬ 
trict  schools,’  ’  “  graded,”  “  central,”  and  “  union  schools  ;  ”  in  the  lat¬ 
ter  it  embraced  all  the  public  schools  of  different  grades. 

In  New  Hampshire  provision  was  made  for  an  “  English  school  ”  and 
“  union  high  school.” 

In  Maine,  Massachusetts,  and  Rhode  Island  the  comprehensive  term 
“public  schools”  was  used. 

In  Massachusetts  and  Vermont  the  courses  of  study  and  branches  to 
be  pursued  were  fixed  and  determinate,  with  the  exception  that  in  the 
latter  state  some  latitude,  in  this  respect,  was  recognized  in  the  case  of 
central  schools. 

In  Maine,  the  school  committee  were  empowered  to  “direct  the 
general  course  of  instruction  and  what  books  shall  be  used.” 

In  New  Hampshire  the  youth  were  to  be  taught  “  such  other  branches 
of  English  education  as  are  adapted  to  the  advancement  of  the 
schools.” 

In  Rhode  Island  the  school  committee  were  to  “prescribe  the  studies 
to  be  pursued.” 

In  Connecticut  the  board  of  visitors  were  to  “prescribe  . 
the  studies  ”  in  the  different  grades.  But,  in  spite  of  all  this  diversity, 
they  were  common  schools  in  the  sense  that,  in  all  their  grades,  they 
were  maintained  at  the  public  expense,  and  so  were  distinguishable  from 
the  academies  and  other  preparatory  schools  which  were  not  thus  main- 


19 


tained,  and  the  purpose  of  Mr.  Chandler  was  to  make  the  requisites  for 
admission  to  the  department  conform  to,  and  be  no  other  or  higher 
than,  the  standard  that  might,  from  time  to  time,  be  attained  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  England,  but  always  within  the  lines  enumerated 
by  him  in  his  will. 

This  interpretation  is  alike  honorable  to  the  founder  and  elevating  to 
the  department.  Action  in  accordance  with  it,  it  is  believed,  will 
bring  to  the  department  students  having  that  thoroughness  of  prepara¬ 
tion  for  its  work,  that  will  enable  them  to  reap  the  full  advantages  in¬ 
tended  by  the  foundation,  and  to  honorably  maintain  its  dignity  as  a 
department  in  Dartmouth  college. 

Benjamin  A.  Kimball. 
John  Hopkins. 


[Additional  Memorandum  by  the  Visitors.] 

The  visitors  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  competent  for  the  trustees 
to  require  for  admission  to  the  Chandler  Scientific  department  so  much 
French,  physics,  and  chemistry  as  is  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
England,  including  under  that  term  the  high  schools  that  are  maintained 
at  the  public  charge.  Also  that  the  tuition  be  the  same  as  that  pre¬ 
scribed  by  the  trustees  for  the  academic  department. 


“A.” 


To  the  Committee  of  the  Trustees  on  the  Relations  of  the  Chandler 

School  and  the  College ,  and  the  Relations  of  the  Thayer  School  to  both 

the  Chandler  School  and  the  College. 

The  undersigned  members  of  the  several  faculties,  having  been  re¬ 
quested  by  a  vote  of  the  board,  passed  June  29,  1892,  to  act  with  you 
“  in  obtaining  information,  with  a  view  to  determining  whether  the  pol¬ 
icy  of  the  board  should  be  to  continue  the  Chandler  school  as  a  sepa¬ 
rate  organization,  securing  funds  for  the  enlarging  of  its  work  in  the 
direction  of  the  ‘practical  arts  of  life,’  or  to  unite  it  more  closely  with 
the  college,  so  as  to  furnish  scientific  courses  parallel  with  the  other 
courses  of  the  college,”  immediately  upon  receiving  official  notification 
of  that  request,  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  sought  in¬ 
formation  from  all  available  sources,  held  frequent  consultations  and 
reviewed  all  relevant  evidence  obtainable,  and  hereby  respectfully  re¬ 
port  that  they  are  unanimously  of  opinion  : 

1 .  That  it  would  be  unwise  for  the  board  to  continue  the  Chandler 
school  as  a  separate  organization,  securing  funds  for  the  enlarging  of 
its  work  in  the  direction  of  the  practical  arts  of  life,  and  for  the  follow¬ 
ing  reasons:  (1)  The  Chandler  school,  as  a  separate  organization, 
with  an  increase  of  its  funds  -  and  its  development  as  a  technological 
school  would,  it  seems  to  us,  necessarily  involve  duplication  of  some 
part  of  the  plant  and  much  of  the  instruction  now  offered  by  the  college. 
(2)  Such  separate  organization,  with  increase  of  funds  and  develop¬ 
ment  as  a  technological  school,  must  tend  to  the  creation  of  friction  in 
its  actual  workings  as  a  school  or  department  in  the  college.  (3)  Re¬ 
cent  history  of  technological  schools  associated  with  colleges  in  New 
England,  tends  to  prove  that  the  demand  for  the  kind  of  instruction  of¬ 
fered  by  such  schools  has  been  overestimated ;  and  the  cases  in  which 
such  schools  are  meeting  with  the  highest  degree  of  success  are  those 
of  schools  so  highly  endowed  and  so  located  that  no  inference  from 
their  success  would  be  justifiable  in  the  case  of  a  technological  school 
located  in  Hanover.  (4)  If  demand  exists  in  northern  New  England 
for  a  technological  school,  it  presumably  will  be  satisfied  by  the  two 
projected  institutions,  the  state  college  to  be  established  at  Durham,. 


21 


which  will  be  the  recipient  of  governmental  aid,  and  the  Wolfeborough 
academy,  whose  trustees  have  voted  to  provide  such  courses  of  instruc¬ 
tion  and  have  at  their  disposal  a  large  endowment. 

2.  That  the  permanent  interests  of  the  college,  the  Chandler  school, 
and  the  Thayer  school,  demand  the  adoption  by  the  board  of  the  alter¬ 
native  policy  referred  to  in  its  vote  of  June  29,  1892,  to  wit:  The  pol¬ 
icy  of  uniting  the  Chandler  school  more  closely  with  the  college,  so  as 
to  furnish  scientific  courses  parallel  with  the  other  courses  of  the  col¬ 
lege,  and  of  a  re-arrangement  of  certain  courses  of  the  Chandler  school, 
and  the  Thayer  school,  so  as  to  enable  these  institutions  associated 
with  Dartmouth  college  to  offer  both  a  short  and  a  long  course  in 
engineering.  The  adoption  of  this  policy  would,  it  is  believed,  have 
the  following  advantages  :  ( 1 )  It  would  prevent  the  duplication  of  ex¬ 

pensive  plants  by  the  college  and  the  Chandler  school  for  scientific 
instruction,  and  the  duplication  of  courses  of  instruction  both  in 
the  college  and  the  Chandler  school,  and  in  the  Chandler  school 
and  the  Thayer  school.  The  large  saving  which  may  be  effected 
by  use  of  the  same  plant  for  scientific  courses  is  apparent.  Com¬ 
parison  of  the  schedules  of  the  Chandler  school  and  the  college  shows 
that,  while  there  is  considerable  variation  in  the  number  of  exercises 
devoted  to  each  topic,  instruction  is  given  in  the  Chandler  school  in 
only  seven  topics  in  which  no  instruction  is  given  in  the  college,  to 
wit :  Book-keeping,  Roman  History,  Isometric  Drawing,  Mechanical 
Drawing,  Freehand  Drawing,  Structural  Botany,  and  Engineering.  In 
two  of  these  topics,  Book-keeping  and  Roman  History,  instruction  ap¬ 
pears  to  be  offered  because  one  is  legally  required  and  the  other  hap¬ 
pens  to  be  convenient.  The  topic  of  Structural  Botany  is  admitted  to 
be  a  proper  study  for  the  Latin  scientifics  in  the  college.  The  remain¬ 
ing  four  topics  may  properly  be  classed  as  two,  Drawing  and  Engineer¬ 
ing,  and  these,  broadly  speaking,  are  the  only  topics  of  importance 
taught  in  the  Chandler  school  in  which  no  instruction  is  given  in  the 
college.  Comparison  of  the  schedules  of  the  Chandler  school  and  the 
Thayer  school  discovers  the  fact  that  a  considerable  part  of  the  engin¬ 
eering  work  in  the  first  year’s  course  in  the  Thayer  school  is  a  duplica¬ 
tion  of  the  engineering  work  of  the  last  year’s  course  in  the  Chandler 
school.  Such  economic  waste  as  is  implied  by  this  duplication  would, 
it  is  believed,  be  prevented  by  the  adoption  of  the  policy  recommended. 
(2)  Such  a  policy  would  enable  Dartmouth  college,  through  the  Chand¬ 
ler  school  more  closely  united  with  it,  to  furnish  scientific  courses  more 
thorough,  continuous,  and  complete  than  it  is  now  able  to  offer.  (3) 
Such  a  policy  would  enable  the  Chandler  school,  by  relieving  it  of  a 


22 


part  of  the  expense  now  imposed  upon  it  by  its  offer  of  non-scientific 
courses  of  instruction,  to  more  completely  fulfil  the  intended  objects  of 
its  founder.  (4)  Such  a  policy  would  tend  to  build  up  the  Thayer 
school,  by  bringing  the  scientific  courses  of  the  Chandler  school  in  the 
college  into  more  direct  relation  with  its  own  courses  and  by  giving  it, 
as  a  graduate  school,  the  advantages  of  a  more  direct  relation  with  a 
preparatory  course  immediately  connected  with  it.  (5)  Such  a  policy 
would  tend  to  unify  the  interests  of  Dartmouth  college  and  its  associ¬ 
ated  institutions,  and  to  strengthen  all  by  strengthening  each. 

3.  That  in  view  of  the  existing  relations  between  the  college,  the 
Chandler  school,  and  the  Thayer  school,  the  most  practicable  mode  of 
giving  effect  to  such  a  policy  as  is  herein  recommended,  if  it  should  be 
adopted  by  the  board,  would  be  by  its  official  authorization  of  a  general 
plan,  to  take  effect  in  September,  1893  (leaving  all  details  of  the  in¬ 
volved  schedules  to  be  worked  out  by  the  different  faculties,  and  refer¬ 
ring  all  financial  adjustments  made  necessary  to  a  finance  committee  or 
to  the  treasurer  of  the  college),  whose  principal  features  might  be  an¬ 
nounced  in  the  forthcoming  catalogue  substantially  as  follows : 

COURSES  OF  INSTRUCTION. 

The  college  offers  to  its  students  the  option  of  three  parallel  courses 
of  study,  each  extending  through  four  years,  to  wit : 

(1)  The  Classical  course. 

(2)  The  Latin  Scientific  course. 

(3)  The  Chandler  Scientific  course. 

The  studies  to  be  pursued  in  each  of  these  courses  are  prescribed  and 
elective,  in  addition  to  which  certain  optional  courses  are  offered  in 
senior  year.  In  the  Classical  course,  to  be  pursued  by  candidates  for 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  the  study  of  Latin,  Greek,  and  Math¬ 
ematics  forms  a  large  part  of  the  required  work  of  the  first  two  years. 

In  the  Latin  Scientific  course,  to  be  pursued  by  candidates  for  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Letters,  the  studies  pursued  are  the  same  as  in 
the  Classical  course,  excepting  the  prescribed  courses  in  Greek,  in 
place  of  which  are  prescribed  additional  courses  in  Modern  Languages, 
Science,  and  Mathematics. 

In  the  Chandler  Scientific  course,  to  be  pursued  by  candidates  for 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science,  both  Greek  and  Latin  are  omitted, 
and  in  their  place  are  prescribed  additional  courses  in  Modern  Lan¬ 
guages,  Science,  Engineering,  and  Mathematics. 


23 


ADMISSION. 

All  candidates  must  present  satisfactory  testimonials  of  good  moral 
character ;  and  those  who  have  been  members  of  other  colleges  must 
exhibit  certificates  of  regular  dismission. 

The  times  for  admission  are  the  Monday  and  Tuesday  before  Com¬ 
mencement,  and  the  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  before  the  beginning  of 
the  first  term. 

Candidates  in  1893  will  present  themselves  with  their  credentials  at 
the  President’s  room  at  either  of  the  following  hours :  On  Monday, 
June  26,  at  2:30  p.  m.,  and  Tuesday,  June  27,  at  9:00  a.  m.  ;  on 
Tuesday,  September  12,  at  2  =30  p.  m.,  and  Wednesday,  September  13, 
at  9  :oo  a.  m.,  and  2  130  p.  m. 

Examinations . — Examinations  for  admission  are  held  in  Commence¬ 
ment  week,  and  also  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  term.  They  are  held 
in  Culver  hall,  and  begin  at  3  :oo  p.  m.,  on  Monday,  June  26,  and  on 
Tuesday,  September  12,  continuing  in  both  cases  through  the  following 
day. 

Attendance  is  required  at  the  beginning  of  the  examinations. 

Classical  Course. — Candidates  for  the  freshman  class  in  the  Class¬ 
ical  course  are  examined  in  the  following  books  and  subjects,  or  their 
equivalents : 

Greek. — I.  Xenophon’s  Anabasis,  Books  i-iv ;  Homer’s  Iliad, 
Books  i,  ii ;  Greek  Grammar,  including  prosody;  Writing  Greek, — 
Jones’s  Greek  Prose  Composition,  twenty  exercises.  Or,  as  an  alter¬ 
native, — 

II.  Translation  at  sight  of  average  passages  from  Xenophon  and 
from  the  Iliad;  Translation  into  Greek  of  simple  sentences  (a  vocabu¬ 
lary  of  the  less  used  words  being  suggested  or  supplied  in  each  case)  ; 
general  questions  on  Greek  grammar  and  prosody. 

Latin. — I.  Caesar’s  Gallic  War,  Books  i-iv  (or  either  Sallust’s 
Jugurtha  and  Catiline,  or  Caesar’s  Civil  War,  Books  i-iii)  ;  Cicero,  six 
orations;  Virgil’s  Georgies  (or  Georgies,  Books  i-ii,  and  Eclogues),  or 
Ovid’s  Metamorphoses,  4,000  lines,  and  Virgil’s  y£neid,  Books  i-vi ; 
Latin  Grammar,  including  prosody;  Writing  Latin — Translation  of 
simple  sentences  into  Latin  prose.  Or,  as  an  alternative, — 

II.  Caesar’s  Gallic  War,  Books  i-iv,  or  Caesar’s  Civil  War,  Books 
i-iii  (or  Sallust’s  Catiline,  and  either  Books  i-iii  of  the  Gallic  War,  or 
Books  i,  ii  of  the  Civil  War)  ;  Cicero’s  Orations  against  Catiline  and 
for  Archias,  with  questions  on  the  subject-matter  and  on  grammar; 
Virgil’s  ^Eneid,  Books  i-iv  (or  Eclogues,  and  HEneid,  Books  i-v), 
with  questions  on  the  subject-matter  and  on  prosody ;  Translations  at 


24 


sight  of  average  passages  from  Caesar,  Cicero’s  Orations,  Virgil’s 
^Eneid,  and  Ovid’s  Metamorphoses,  with  general  questions  on  grammar, 
history,  antiquities,  and  prosody,  suggested  by  the  passages  prescribed  ; 
Translation  into  Latin  of  a  passage  of  connected  English  narrative 
based  upon  some  portion  of  the  prescribed  prose. 

Note. — In  addition  to  the  use  of  text-books,  it  is  recommended  that  pupils 
be  accustomed  from  the  beginning  of  their  preparatory  course  to  translate 
into  Greek  and  Latin,  both  orally  and  in  writing,  passages  prepared  by  the 
teachers  on  the  basis  of  the  principal  authors  read. 

Mathe?natics . — Arithmetic,  including  the  metric  system ;  Algebra,  to 
quadratics ;  Plane  Geometry. 

English. — The  examination  will  consist  in  the  criticism  of  specimens 
of  incorrect  English,  together  with  a  short  essay,  correct  in  spelling, 
punctuation,  division  into  paragraphs,  grammar,  and  expression,  on  a 
subject  to  be  announced  at  the  time  of  the  examination.  In  1893  the 
subject  will  be  taken  from  one  of  the  following  books :  Shakespeare’s 
Julius  Caesar  and  Twelfth  Night ;  Scott’s  Marmion  ;  Longfellow’s  Court¬ 
ship  of  Miles  Standish ;  the  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  Papers  in  The  Spec¬ 
tator  ;  Macaulay’s  second  Essay  on  the  Earl  of  Chatham ;  Emerson’s 
American  Scholar ;  Irving’s  Sketch-Book ;  Scott’s  Ivanhoe ;  Dickens’s 
David  Copperfield.  In  1894,  Shakespeare’s  Julius  Caesar  and  Merchant 
of  Venice ;  Scott’s  Lady  of  the  Lake ;  Arnold’s  Sohrab  and  Rustum ; 
the  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  Papers  in  The  Spectator ;  Macaulay’s  second 
Essay  on  the  Earl  of  Chatham  ;  Emerson’s  American  Scholar ;  Irving’s 
Sketch-Book;  Scott’s  Abbot;  Dickens’s  David  Copperfield.  In  1895, 
Shakespeare’s  Merchant  of  Venice  and  Twelfth  Night ;  Milton’s  L’Alle- 
gro,  II  Penseroso,  Comus  and  Lycidas ;  Longfellow’s  Evangeline ;  the 
Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  Papers  in  The  Spectator;  Macaulay’s  Essay 
on  Milton  and  Essay  on  Addison;  Webster’s  first  Bunker  Hill  Oration; 
Irving’s  Sketch-Book;  Scott’s  Abbot.  In  1896,  Shakespeare’s  Mer¬ 
chant  of  Venice  and  Midsummer  Night’s  Dream;  Milton’s  L’Allegro,  II 
Penseroso,  Comus  and  Lycidas ;  Longfellow’s  Evangeline ;  Macaulay’s 
Essay  on  Milton ;  Webster’s  first  Bunker  Hill  Oration;  DeFoe’s  His¬ 
tory  of  the  Plague  in  London ;  Irving’s  Tales  of  a  Traveler ;  Scott’s 
Woodstock  ;  George  Eliot’s  Silas  Marner. 

History  and  Geography . — Outlines  of  Greek  History  (to  the  death  of 
Alexander)  and  of  Roman  History  (to  the  death  of  Marcus  Aurelius)  ; 
American  History  ;  Outlines  of  Ancient  Geography ;  Modern  Geography. 

French. — The  French  language  is  not  required  for  admission,  but 
will  be  accepted,  and  candidates  who  have  had  one  year’s  study  of 


25 


French  (not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  recitations)  and  have 
passed  an  examination  in  Otto’s  French  Grammar,  Part  I,  with  the 
Reading  Lessons  (or  an  equivalent),  will  have  the  privilege  of  pursuing 
the  study  in  an  advanced  division. 

Latin  Scientific  Course. — Candidates  for  the  freshman  class  in  the 
Latin  Scientific  course  are  examined  as  follows : 

In  Latin. — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

In  Mathematics. — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

In  English. — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

In  History  and  Geography. — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

In  Physical  Geography  (Guyot’s) — Elementary  Human  Physiology, 
and  Phenogamic  Botany. 

In  French — Edgren’s  French  Grammar  complete;  not  less  than  500 
duodecimo  pages  of  French  prose  and  poetry;  the  first  57  pages  of 
Macmillan’s  First  Book  of  French  Composition. 

Chandler  Scientific  Course. — Candidates  for  the  freshman  class  in  the 
Chandler  Scientific  course  are  examined  in  the  following  subjects : 

Mathematics . — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

English. — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

History. — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

Geography . — Same  as  for  Classical  course. 

Human  Physiology . — Same  as  for  Latin  Scientific  course. 

Phenogamic  Botany ,  after  1892-3. — Same  as  for  Latin  Scientific 
course. 

French. — The  work  of  one  year  in  college  or  its  equivalent,  and  after 
1893-4,  the  equivalent  of  two  years’  work  in  college.  An  equivalent  of 
German  will  be  accepted  instead  of  French. 

Physics. — Gage’s  Introduction  to  Physical  Science,  or  an  equivalent. 

Chemistry . — Remsen’s  Shorter  Course  in  Chemistry,  or  its  equiva¬ 
lent.  A  student  who  has  pursued  a  laboratory  course  will  receive  credit 
for  such  work  upon  presenting  his  original  note-book  with  the  record 
of  his  experiments  properly  certified  by  his  instructor. 

The  recommendations  of  Prof.  Fletcher  of  the  Thayer  school,  for 
preventing  the  existing  duplication  of  courses  of  instruction  in  the 
Chandler  school  and  the  Thayer  school,  and  his  recommendations  re¬ 
specting  the  cooperation  and  division  of  labor  between  the  instructors 
of  these  two  schools,  having  been  transmitted  to  your  committee,  are 
herein  formally  referred  to  and  made  by  such  reference  a  part  of  this 
report,  in  which  all  the  members  of  this  committee  of  the  different  fac¬ 
ulties  heartily  concur.  If  the  policy  herein  recommended  should  be 
adopted  by  the  board,  and  the  plan  suggested  for  carrying  it  into  exe- 


26 


cution  should  be  authorized,  proper  announcements  should  also  be 
made  in  the  forthcoming  catalogue  respecting  the  proposed  short  and 
long  courses  of  engineering  in  the  Chandler  school  and  the  Thayer 
school. 

In  conclusion,  it  remains  to  be  added  that  we  have  not  deemed  it 
wise  to  consider  questions  relating  to  the  schedule,  the  degree  of  corre¬ 
spondence  of  studies  in  the  Latin  Scientific  and  the  proposed  Chandler 
Scientific  courses  during  Freshman  and  Sophomore  years,  or  the  most 
desirable  grouping  of  studies,  or  the  proper  range  of  electives,  or  the 
prescribed  courses  of  study  for  students  in  the  proposed  Chandler  Sci¬ 
entific  course  during  junior  and  senior  years,  in  advance  of  the  deter¬ 
mination  by  the  board  of  its  general  policy ;  nor  have  we  deemed  it 
within  our  province  to  consider  any  legal  questions  which  may  be 
raised  by  the  proposals  herein  made. 

JAMES  F.  COLBY, 

JOHN  K.  LORD, 

EDWARD  R.  RUGGLES, 
ROBERT  FLETCHER, 

Of  the  Faculties. 


“  B.” 

Memorandum  or  Statement  for  the  Committee  of  Conference  of  the  Trus¬ 
tees  of  Dartmouth  College ,  submitted  by  the  Director  of  the  Thayer 
School  of  Civil  Engineering. 

[Subject  to  approval  of  the  Board  of  Overseers  of  the  Thayer  school.] 

Whereas,  It  is  desirable  to  perfect  a  general  plan  for  the  unification 
and  enlargement  of  the  courses  of  scientific  and  technical  study  at  Dart¬ 
mouth  college,  to  avoid  duplication  of  work,  to  secure  more  efficient 
direction  of  the  teaching  force,  and  to  offer  better  facilities  and  induce¬ 
ments  for  post-graduate  study:  Therefore,  After  conferences  with 
representatives  of  the  college  and  the  Chandler  school,  the  director  of  the 
Thayer  school  concurs  in  the  belief  that  a  plan  of  cooperation  or  ad¬ 
justment,  something  like  the  following,  is  feasible,  to  wit : 

i .  The  Thayer  school  can  arrange  its  courses  of  study  so  as  to  offer 
to  all  who  may  pass  its  examinations  for  admission  a  shorter  course  of 
study  in  civil  engineering,  during  the  first  year.  Students  who  may 
be  admitted  to  such  course  from  the  scientific  department  of  the 


27 


college  may  have  such  essentially  post-graduate  study  made  available  as 
the  last  year’s  work  for  the  degree  of  B.  S.  from  the  college. 

2.  The  Thayer  school  would  then  offer,  during  its  second  year,  an 
advanced  course  of  study  in  civil  engineering,  and  all  students  pursuing 
both  years  of  study  in  the  Thayer  school  will  receive  the  degree  of  civil 
engineer  on  recommendation  of  the  board  of  overseers. 

3.  Interchanges  of  instruction  between  the  professors  of  the  Thayer 
school  and  the  Chandler  professor  of  civil  engineering  may  be  arranged 
so  that  the  work  of  instruction  for  the  first  year  of  the  civil  engineering 
course  may  be  equitably  shared.  The  details  of  such  arrangement  shall 
conform  to  the  programme  of  the  Thayer  school,  which  may  be  modi¬ 
fied  in  some  respects  to  suit  the  case,  provided  the  standard  is  main¬ 
tained  unimpaired. 

No  pecuniary  considerations  for  instruction  thus  given  by  exchange 
shall  be  paid  or  received  by  either  party,  but  exchanges  shall  be  made 
equivalent  by  mutual  agreement. 

4.  Students  thus  having  instruction  in  the  Thayer  school  shall  be 
rated  as  Thayer  school  students,  and  be  subject  to  all  its  regulations, 
now  or  hereafter,  in  force,  as  to  examinations,  charges  for  tuition,  etc.1 

Robert  Fletcher. 


P.  S.  After  being  requested  to  submit  a  proposition  in  writing  to  the  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  trustees,  then  in  session,  there  was  no  time  to  refer  the  matter 
to  the  board  of  overseers  for  first  consideration.  The  previous  deliberations 
had  been  only  of  a  tentative  nature,  with  no  assurance  of  a  definite  plan. 
Necessarily,  “we”  were  entirely  independent  in  the  discussion,  but  were 
willing  to  assent  to  any  proper  arrangement  which  did  not  impair  our  inde¬ 
pendence.  No  “alliance  ”  would  be  advisable. 

1  To  this  should  be  added  the  words  in  the  Thayer  school. 

[The  overseers  of  the  Thayer  school  have  assented  to  the  plan  pro¬ 
posed.] 


